National Center for Advancing and Translational Sciences Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center, a program of the National Center for Advancing and Translational Sciences

Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 1E



Other Names:
CMT 1E; Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, demyelinating, Type 1E; Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease and deafness; CMT 1E; Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, demyelinating, Type 1E; Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease and deafness; Charcot-Marie-Tooth neuropathy and deafness, autosomal dominant; Charcot Marie Tooth disease type 1E See More
Categories:

Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 1E (CMT1E) is a form of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, which is a group of rare conditions that affect the peripheral nerves. Signs and symptoms of CMT1E generally become apparent between age 5 and 25 years, although the age of onset and disease severity can vary significantly from person to person. In general, CMT1E is associated with the typical features of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 1 (progressive weakness of the feet and/or ankles; foot drop; atrophy of muscles below the knee; absent tendon reflexes of upper and lower extremities; and a decreased sensitivity to touch, heat, and cold in the feet and/or lower legs) in addition to hearing loss. CMT1E is caused by certain changes (mutations) in the PMP22 gene and is inherited in an autosomal dominant manner.[1][2] Treatment is based on the signs and symptoms present in each person.[1][3]
Last updated: 2/18/2016

This table lists symptoms that people with this disease may have. For most diseases, symptoms will vary from person to person. People with the same disease may not have all the symptoms listed. This information comes from a database called the Human Phenotype Ontology (HPO) . The HPO collects information on symptoms that have been described in medical resources. The HPO is updated regularly. Use the HPO ID to access more in-depth information about a symptom.

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Medical Terms Other Names
Learn More:
HPO ID
Percent of people who have these symptoms is not available through HPO
Areflexia
Absent tendon reflexes
0001284
Autosomal dominant inheritance 0000006
Childhood onset
Symptoms begin in childhood
0011463
Decreased motor nerve conduction velocity 0003431
Distal muscle weakness
Weakness of outermost muscles
0002460
Distal sensory impairment
Decreased sensation in extremities
0002936
Foot dorsiflexor weakness
Foot drop
0009027
Hammertoe
Hammer toe
Hammertoes
[ more ]
0001765
Hyporeflexia
Decreased reflex response
Decreased reflexes
[ more ]
0001265
Juvenile onset
Signs and symptoms begin before 15 years of age
0003621
Limb muscle weakness
Limb weakness
0003690
Pes cavus
High-arched foot
0001761
Sensorineural hearing impairment 0000407
Split hand
Claw hand
Claw hand deformities
Claw hands
Claw-hand deformities
Split-hand
[ more ]
0001171
Steppage gait
High stepping
0003376
Talipes calcaneovalgus 0001884
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Last updated: 7/1/2020

If you need medical advice, you can look for doctors or other healthcare professionals who have experience with this disease. You may find these specialists through advocacy organizations, clinical trials, or articles published in medical journals. You may also want to contact a university or tertiary medical center in your area, because these centers tend to see more complex cases and have the latest technology and treatments.

If you can’t find a specialist in your local area, try contacting national or international specialists. They may be able to refer you to someone they know through conferences or research efforts. Some specialists may be willing to consult with you or your local doctors over the phone or by email if you can't travel to them for care.

You can find more tips in our guide, How to Find a Disease Specialist. We also encourage you to explore the rest of this page to find resources that can help you find specialists.

Healthcare Resources


Research helps us better understand diseases and can lead to advances in diagnosis and treatment. This section provides resources to help you learn about medical research and ways to get involved.

Patient Registry

  • The Inherited Neuropathies Consortium is a team of doctors, nurses, research coordinators, and research labs throughout the U.S., working together to improve the lives of people with Charcot Marie Tooth disease through research. The Inherited Neuropathies Consortium has a registry for patients who wish to be contacted about clinical research opportunities.

Support and advocacy groups can help you connect with other patients and families, and they can provide valuable services. Many develop patient-centered information and are the driving force behind research for better treatments and possible cures. They can direct you to research, resources, and services. Many organizations also have experts who serve as medical advisors or provide lists of doctors/clinics. Visit the group’s website or contact them to learn about the services they offer. Inclusion on this list is not an endorsement by GARD.

Organizations Supporting this Disease


These resources provide more information about this condition or associated symptoms. The in-depth resources contain medical and scientific language that may be hard to understand. You may want to review these resources with a medical professional.

Where to Start

In-Depth Information

  • GeneReviews provides current, expert-authored, peer-reviewed, full-text articles describing the application of genetic testing to the diagnosis, management, and genetic counseling of patients with specific inherited conditions.
  • Medscape Reference provides information on this topic. You may need to register to view the medical textbook, but registration is free.
  • The Monarch Initiative brings together data about this condition from humans and other species to help physicians and biomedical researchers. Monarch’s tools are designed to make it easier to compare the signs and symptoms (phenotypes) of different diseases and discover common features. This initiative is a collaboration between several academic institutions across the world and is funded by the National Institutes of Health. Visit the website to explore the biology of this condition.
  • Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) is a catalog of human genes and genetic disorders. Each entry has a summary of related medical articles. It is meant for health care professionals and researchers. OMIM is maintained by Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. 
  • Orphanet is a European reference portal for information on rare diseases and orphan drugs. Access to this database is free of charge.
  • PubMed is a searchable database of medical literature and lists journal articles that discuss Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 1E. Click on the link to view a sample search on this topic.

Questions sent to GARD may be posted here if the information could be helpful to others. We remove all identifying information when posting a question to protect your privacy. If you do not want your question posted, please let us know.


  1. Bird TD. Charcot-Marie-Tooth Neuropathy Type 1. GeneReviews. March 26, 2015; http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK1205/.
  2. CHARCOT-MARIE-TOOTH DISEASE AND DEAFNESS. OMIM. January 2012; http://www.omim.org/entry/118300.
  3. Divakara Kedlaya, MBBS. Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease. Medscape Reference. November 2014; http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1232386-overview.